PRINCE Harry and Markle Meghan’s US neighbours say the couple “haven’t become part of the community” , despite the duke claiming they have been “welcomed with open arms“.
The Sussexes splashed out £11.5million on a beautiful mansion in the Montecito neighbourhood of Santa Barbara, California, months after announcing they were stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020.
It is where the couple raise their two children Archie and Lilibet – but according to their neighbours, the family are a “no show” in public.
Richard Mineards, who writes a gossip column for the Montecito Journal, claims locals have been left reeling from their reported lack of integration into the community.
“Harry and Meghan haven’t become part of the community, and I think a lot of people are bristling about that really,” he said, reports The Times.
“It’s such a lovely place to go out and they’ve been a no show.
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“There is this big question of, ‘Where are they?'”.
But Harry has given a different account of life in California as he said in a recent interview he and wife Meghan have been “welcomed with open arms.”
The Duke of Sussex, 37, hailed the community as “great” in an interview with news anchor Hoda Kotb that aired on Wednesday.
According to Harry, the United States, specifically Santa Barbara, feels more like home to him.
Harry and Meghan bought the sprawling estate – featuring huge lawns, a tennis court and an outdoor swimming pool – in the area in June 2020.
“Home for me now is, for the time being, it’s the States. And it really feels that way as well,” he told Kotb.
“We’ve been welcomed with open arms and we’ve got such a great community up in Santa Barbara.”
Kotb asked: “So you feel like that’s more home for you?” with Harry replying: “Yeah.”
Prince Harry sparked fury in the same bombshell interview as he revealed he wants the “right people” around the Queen to “protect” her.
The royal has only returned to the UK a handful of times – most recently MISSING his grandfather Prince Philip’s memorial.
But the Sun exclusively revealed Harry returned to the UK and met with the Queen last week with his wife Meghan — their first joint UK trip since they quit royal duty in March 2020.
Revealing details of his first face-to-face meeting with the Queen since the snub to Philip’s memorial, Prince Harry insisted he wanted to protect the stoic monarch who has served for more than 70 years.
He told US journalist Hoda Kotb: “I’m just making sure that she’s, you know, protected and got the right people around her.”
But his comments have sparked fury, with royal experts saying his comment was a “gross insult” that showed his “arrogance”.
Royal author Angela Levin tweeted: “His comment on US TV is a gross insult to all the royal family, the royal doctors and all the aides around HM. His arrogance knows no bounds.”
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Fellow expert Robert Jobson added: “Prince Harry says on US TV he is making sure the Queen is ‘protected and has the right people around her’. How so?
“I think you’ll find that Prince Charles and Her Majesty’s children and William are DOING just that and supporting the Queen, with actions – and not just words.”
